Cycleways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the length in kilometres of cycle lanes in England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: We have only received details of new cycle lanes and cycle tracks from local highway authorities since 2001-02 when the Local Transport Plan reports began. However, this information is not complete as more recently provision of this information is not mandatory from authorities rated "good" and "excellent".
	Local authorities outside London have reported through their Local Transport Plans they have built the following number of new cycle lanes since 2001/02.
	
		
			   Cycle Lane (km) 
			 2001-02 405 
			 2002-03 369 
			 2003-04 386 
			 2004-05 308 
			 2005-06 234 
			 2006-07 140 
		
	
	Similar figures are not available for London Boroughs but Transport for London report that around 550 km of the London Cycle Network+ were completed by April 2007 with a target of 900km due for completion by end 2010.

Economy: North-east Wales

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the contribution of North East Wales to the UK economy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: North-east Wales has the fastest growing economic area in the UK. It has seen faster growth in economy than south-east England over the past 20 years

Olympic Games 2012: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what support is available for  (a) Peterborough City Council and  (b) other local authorities in Cambridgeshire to develop their strategies and policies in relation to the hosting of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The Local Government Association is supporting local authorities across the UK in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. In addition the Nations and Regions Group, chaired by Charles Alien, coordinates legacy benefits planning across the UK, including in the East of England.
	The East of England regional structure has also been reorganised to support the 2012 regional business plan more effectively. The Nations and Regions East (NRE) board has representation from each of the six county areas, which includes councils and the four unitary authorities. NRE is chaired by Cllr Stephen Castle, who is the regional representative on the Nations and Regions Group. Below the Nations and Regions East board is a partnership executive group which includes representation from Peterborough city council and Cambridge county council. Its role is to provide additional support to county level working groups to take forward relevant and appropriate activity to maximise the benefits from 2012.

Fisheries: Protection

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relative effectiveness and efficiency of  (a) Hunt Class and  (b) River Class patrol vessels in performance of fishery protection duties as referred to in the answer of 16 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 945-6W, on fisheries: protection; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The three River class vessels which replaced the six Island class vessels in 2003-04, were leased by MOD to provide the majority of Fishery Protection duties for DEFRA. The Rivers, like the Island class before, are contracted to provide 70 per cent. of the total annual patrol day requirement. The Rivers provide on average 190 to 230 patrol days each year. Their design, their equipment and their crewing is geared to provide a first class fisheries enforcement service in UK and International waters at anytime of the year.
	The Hunt class vessels that are seconded to the Fishery Protection Squadron for 2 to 3 year periods, are Mine Countermeasure vessels which were designed for that primary role. There have always been three to five Hunts in the Fishery Protection Squadron at any one time, but they have always acted in a supporting role to the Islands and Rivers within the Fishery Protection Squadron. Most of the Hunts provide on average, 50-100 patrol days each year and consequently spend long periods of the year not on fisheries enforcement duties.
	The River class vessels, built in the last five years, are much faster vessels than the older Hunts (18yrs plus), with a maximum speed of 22knts compared to a maximum of 15kts on the Hunts and they are able to stay at sea for longer periods. Rivers currently carry out 12 day patrols followed by a two day stand-off whereas the Hunts carry out seven to eight day patrols followed by a two day stand-off.
	The River class vessels are equipped and manned to be able to routinely deploy two sea-boats to carry out simultaneous inspections whereas the Hunts are equipped to use one sea-boat. They do exceptionally use two sea-boats if weather and crewing permit.
	Rivers have a higher complement of qualified British Sea Fisheries Officers (BSFOs), carrying an average of four at all times whereas the Hunts carry an average of three qualified BSFOs.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings have been held since July 2007 involving  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department with representatives of the Jewish community to discuss (i) anti-semitism in England, (ii) security of the Jewish community in England and (iii) measures to tackle anti-semitism; what the (A) location and (B) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; who attended each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: I met representatives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust issues concerning the Jewish community were discussed, as well as the All Party Inquiry follow up and security matters affecting the Jewish community.
	I also met with Lord Janner in October 2007 and all three matters were raised.
	Both meetings took place at CLG's offices and lasted approximately 30 minutes. The first meeting included CPU officials, representatives from all three organisations and myself. The second meeting was between Lord Janner and myself.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership of the cross-government working group on anti-Semitism is; on how many occasions the group has met; which  (a) Ministers,  (b) officials and  (c) others have attended; what the (i) location and (ii) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The cross-government working group on anti-Semitism is made up of officials from Communities and Local Government, the Home Office, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Crown Prosecution Service, Ministry of Justice, Attorney-General's Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport as well as representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Metropolitan police, the Parliamentary Committee Against Anti-Semitism, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust. The group has met twice, no Ministers have attended the meetings only officials and representatives from the departments and other organisations mentioned above. The working group met at Community and Local Government offices, meetings lasted 90 minutes and a record is kept.

Departmental Manpower

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the full-time equivalent headcount in her Department is; what the forecast full-time equivalent headcount for her Department is for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The full-time equivalent staffing levels for the Department of Communities and Local Government, are published by the Office of National Statistics at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0907.pdf
	The Departmental business planning process is not yet complete and so future year forecasts are not yet available.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Gloucester, expects to reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Wycombe of 11 October 2007 on placing bids made by local authorities for monies paid from the Preventing Extremism Pathfinder Fund in the Library.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have now sent the hon. Member a reply.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what efficiency savings projects his Department put in place under the Spending Review 2004 targets; on what date each was initiated; how much each was expected to contribute to the target; how much was saved by each; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills came into existence in 2007, with its predecessors being parts of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Skills. As a result, the efficiency savings programmes for SR04 were initiated by these two Departments, with targets for achievement of £4.35 billion of gains by DfES and £380 million by DTI by 2007/08.
	The DTI and DfES put in train efficiency programmes to manage their efficiency gains. Details of their programmes and the underpinning initiatives are set out in the Efficiency Technical Notes which are included on the Department for Children, Families and Schools (DCSF) and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) websites.
	The Department is jointly committed with DCSF and the BERR to the on-going achievement of these targets. We will set out our contribution to the achievement of the Gershon target in the DIUS Autumn Performance Report, which is due to be published in December 2007.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Telephone Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a geographical telephone number for the Police Service of Northern Ireland's non-emergency calls.

Paul Goggins: 0845 600 8000 is the primary number for all non-emergency services. This provides a single, contact number regardless of the caller's location. The calls are routed automatically to the most appropriate answer-point within the PSNI. This provides an effective response for non-emergency calls and there are no current plans to introduce additional geographic telephone numbers.

Children

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) households and  (b) lone parent households with dependent children in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the number of households and lone parent households with dependant children in England for each year since 1997.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   All households  Lone parent households with dependant children 
			 1997 19,816 1,291 
			 1998 19,924 1,335 
			 1999 20,052 1,383 
			 2000 20,222 1,433 
			 2001 20,523 1,476 
			 2002 20,720 1,524 
			 2003 20,904 1,566 
			 2004 21,062 1,591 
		
	
	The household figures for England are derived by the 2004-based household projection and estimation model using mid-year population figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The estimates predate ONS revisions to the populations released in August 2007.
	Lone parent households contain a lone parent living with one or more dependant child, but no married or cohabiting couples. A dependant child is one aged 0-15; or aged 16-18, never married and in full time education.

Civil Servants: Durham

John Cummings: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs have been re-located in County Durham as a result of the Gershon Review.

Andy Burnham: By June 2007 eight posts had been relocated out of London and the south east to County Durham as a result of the Lyons relocation programme.

Housing: Prices

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data sources relating to the value of homes his Department uses when formulating economic policy.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury uses a wide variety of data sources on the value of homes, including house price indices from the Department of Communities and Local Government, Halifax, Nationwide, the Land Registry, and others, for example internet based property listing firms. It also makes use of survey evidence from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Data on the overall value of the residential housing stock is available within the national accounts produced by the Office for National Statistics.

Lone Parents: Employment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of labour market participation was among lone parents in  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each year since the introduction of working tax credit.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the labour market participation of lone parents. (166592)
	The information requested is given in the attached table. The figures in the table are estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Economic activity( 1)  levels and rates for working-age( 2)  lone parents with dependent children( 3) , by area of residence 
			  Thousand and percentage ( not seasonally adjusted ) 
			  Three months ending June  of each year  Middlesborough South and East Cleveland  North East  UK 
			  Economic activity levels (T housand )( 4)
			 2003 2 51 1,051 
			 2004 3 53 1,113 
			 2005 3 55 1,142 
			 2006 2 53 1,147 
			 2007 4 48 1,162 
			 
			  Eco nomic activity rates (Percentage )( 5)
			 2003 84 53 59 
			 2004 89 61 60 
			 2005 90 60 62 
			 2006 82 62 63 
			 2007 84 57 63 
			 (1) Economically active people are those who are either employed or unemployed, as defined by the International Labour Organisation. (2) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (3) Dependent children are children under 16 and those aged 16-18 who are never-married and in full-time education. (4) Estimates have not been adjusted for people with unknown economic activity status. (5) Economically active lone parents as a percentage of all lone parents. Base for percentages excludes people with unknown economic activity status.  Source: Labour Force Survey household datasets

Office for National Statistics: Internet

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the route is from the opening page of the Office for National Statistics website to access the time series for the Household Savings ratio for users who  (a) know and  (b) do not know the series registration code; if he will take steps to improve the accessibility of the information; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question on what the route is from the opening page of the Office for National Statistics website to access the time series for the Household Savings Ratio (NRJS) for users who  (a) know and  (b) do not know the series registration code. (166196)
	The series for the Household Savings Ratio (NRJS in table A40 of the United Kingdom Economic Accounts is published quarterly and can be accessed from the Office for National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk
	For users who know the specific time series, data can be accessed on the website by:
	Clicking onto  time series data under  quick links on the left hand side of the homepage.
	Under  time series data click  access individual series.
	Scroll down the list of releases until you get to  United Kingdom Economic Accounts and highlight this publication.
	Under the box showing list of  releases click  go next to the box  view tables.
	Scroll down list of tables and highlight table  A40: Income and Capital: Households and non profit institutions serving households.
	Under the box showing list of  tables click  go next to the box  view series.
	Scroll down list of series and highlight series  NRJS :HN: Households saving ratio: CPSA.
	Under the box showing list of  series click  go next to the box  add series to selection.
	Click  go next to the box  download.
	Click  go next to the box  view on screen. This will provide users with the data available for the series annually and quarterly.
	It is recognised that it is not necessarily that easy for users who do not know the series identifier or its location within publications to identify the series on the website. On the website at the foot of the home page there is a 'contact us' section which gives details of an e-mail address and telephone number for users to ask questions.
	The Office currently has a major project under way to review and improve its website, adopting the principles of user-centred design in order to ensure that it delivers the usability and functionality that its users require. The initial improvements to its website will focus on the area explaining the Office's new independent status following the passage of the Statistics and Registration Act 2007 which comes into force in April 2008. Thereafter the intention is to roll out a programme of improvements across the statistical areas of the website by 2009.

Welfare Tax Credits

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will  (a) simplify and  (b) improve the comprehensibility to claimants of the procedures for claiming tax credits.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC is developing services to support customers through the claims process as a result of the tax credits transformation programme.
	The improved support services already includes a new service which allows customers whose relationship has broken down to terminate their old joint claim and initiate a new single claim in one phone call, thereby simplifying the claims process at a time in their lives when they are most in need of the support tax credits provides.
	Other service improvements soon to be piloted will focus on providing the right level of support to the right customer in order to make their experience of claiming as straightforward as possible. Different levels of support will be offered to ensure that customers receive the guidance they need to understand the claims procedure and get the tax credits payments they are entitled to as easily and quickly as possible.

Welfare Tax Credits: Finance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on administering each type of tax credit in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The costs of managing and paying working families and disabled person's tax credits are shown in Annex 1 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report (footnote to Note 3) for 1999-2000 and 2000-01, and in the Inland Revenue Trust Statements at Note 3 for 2001-02, and Note 4 for 2002-03. The costs of managing and paying the child and working tax credits in the financial years from 2003-04 appear in Note 3 of the annual Departmental Trust Statements.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was overpaid in tax credits in each financial year since 2003-04; and how much of this overpayment he expects to recover.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 20 November 2007
	Information relating to the recovery of overpayments of 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 tax credit awards is contained in Section 2, table 4, of the Comptroller and Auditor Generals Standard Report in the HM Revenue and Customs 2006-07 Accounts, which is available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accounts2007.htm. Information on recovery of overpaid tax credits in 2006-07 will be published in the HM Revenue and Customs 2007-08 Accounts, which is due to be released in the summer of 2008.

Afghanistan: Railways

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what railway construction projects are  (a) planned and  (b) under way in Afghanistan.

Shahid Malik: Many bulk commodities are brought by rail to Afghanistan's borders and then transported by truck around the country. In early 2006 Afghanistan began work on a railway project connecting Hirat city to the Iranian border at Sangan. 60 per cent. of the project is funded by the Iranian Government. Discussion is under way on constructing lengthier railways in Afghanistan. However, there needs to be a very careful economic cost-benefit analysis of any major railway investments to ascertain whether this is the best use of investment resources as compared with other priority investments.
	The Government of Afghanistan plans to focus on improving roads and airports as priority areas of transport over the next five to 10 years, as outlined in the draft Afghanistan National Development Strategy (AMDS) transport sector plan. Railhead transfer stations at the borders are likely to be improved so that the cost of changing freight from trains to trucks is lowered, thus lowering the cost of Afghanistan's international trade.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many applicants for information, requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to his Department requested an internal review in cases where the request had been turned down, in each year since the Act came into force; what the  (a) average,  (b) longest and  (c) shortest time taken was to conduct an internal review in that period; and what was the total cost of such reviews in that period.

Edward Miliband: Data on the performance of central Government Departments under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is available on the Ministry of Justice website at: http://www.foi.gov.uk/reference/statisticsAndReports.htm. Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.
	The information requested in relation to the cost of conducting internal reviews could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Participation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Leader of the House what steps she took to consult  (a) local authorities and  (b) businesses in the West Midlands on the Government's draft legislative programme published in July 2007; which organisations in the West Midlands were contacted about the programme; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The Draft Legislative Programme and other issues of key concern to the West Midlands have been discussed by the Minister for the West Midlands with the following individuals and stakeholders since August 2007:
	 Organisation
	Advantage West Midlands
	Armac Manufacturing Ltd.
	Arts Council England
	Audiences Central
	Big Lottery Fund
	Birmingham Chamber International Trade Team
	Birmingham City Council
	Birmingham City University
	Birmingham Conservatoire
	Birmingham Forward
	Birmingham Post
	Black Country Consortium
	Blitz Games
	Cabinet Member for Economic and Community Issues with Hereford Council
	CBI WM
	CBSO
	CEO Advantage West Midlands (AWM)
	Chairman North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership Development Group
	Chairman of Dermal Technology Laboratory (DTL Ltd.)
	Chairman of Rural Affairs Forum
	Chamber of Commerce Herefordshire and Worcestershire
	Aspire Housing
	Newcastle Borough Council
	North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce
	Staffordshire County Council
	Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Telford and Wrekin Council
	Transforming Telford
	City Regions
	Cobbetts
	Concordia
	Corporate Director?AWM
	Corporate Director, Adult and Consumer Care, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Corporate Director, Community Services, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Corporate Director, Environment and Regeneration, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Corporate Director, Resources, Telford and Wrekin Council
	County of Herefordshire District Council
	Coventry University
	CSP-Birmingham
	Culture West Midlands
	Delivery Director?AWM
	Deputy Leader, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Deputy Vice-chancellor, Staffordshire University and NSRP Board Member
	Director-Polytec Holden Ltd.
	Economic portfolio for Herefordshire Local Authority
	Elected Mayor?Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Engineering Services, Telford and Wrekin Council
	English Heritage
	Environmental Officer
	Executive Director of Business Development?Beth Johnson Housing Association
	External Development Officer-Keele University
	Fierce Festival
	First Light Movies
	Government Office for the West Midlands
	Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent and NSRP Board Member
	Head of Keele University Science Park
	Head of Mobility and Development, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Head of Policy, Resources and Social Regeneration, Children and Young People, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce
	Herefordshire County Chairman
	Heritage Lottery Fund
	Housing Corporation and representing NSRP Board Member
	Institute of Asian Business
	IoD Young Directors
	Ironbridge Gorge Museum
	Jonas Roy Bloom
	Key Attractions Group
	Leader of Hereford Council
	Leader of the Labour Group
	Leader of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Council
	Leader, Newcastle Borough Council
	Leader, Staffordshire County Council
	Leader, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
	Leader, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Mac
	Managing Director?Holden
	Aluminium Technologies Ltd.
	Managing Director?Hydro?Logic Ltd.
	Managing Director?Wilkins
	Chartered Surveyors Ltd.
	Managing Director?Wye Valley Brewery Ltd.
	Managing Director Canefield Ltd.
	Managing Director of Dermal Technology Laboratory (DTL Ltd.)
	Managing Director of North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership
	Managing Director Urban Splash-Midlands
	Managing Director, Waterworld and NSRP Board Member
	Marketing Birmingham
	Mediabox
	Micron Sprayers Ltd.
	Moflash Signalling Ltd.
	Museums, Libraries and Archives West Midlands
	Natural England
	NFU Regional Chairman
	NFU Regional Director and Vice Chair of the RAF
	Pinsent Masons
	Play England
	Political Assistant to Mayor Meredith
	Portfolio Holder for Adult Services and Older People
	Portfolio Holder for Business, Enterprise, and Development
	Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People's Services
	Portfolio Holder for Environment
	Portfolio Holder for Public Safety and Organisational Development
	Portfolio Holder for Regeneration
	Portfolio Holder for Resources and Finance
	Prime-Med Healthcare
	Principal at the City of Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College
	Programme Manager?RENEW North Staffordshire?North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership
	Regional Assembly Regional Co-ordinator, Keele University
	Regional Director, North West and West Midlands English Partnership
	Regional Horticultural Chairman
	Regional Livestock Chairman
	Representing Hereford on the NFU National Council and a farmer from the west of the county
	RSC
	Screen West Midlands
	Secretary and Registrar, Keele University and NSRP Board Member
	Serious Games Institute
	Shakespeare Country
	Shropshire County Council
	Sport England
	Sport England West Midlands
	Staffordshire Police Chief Executive
	Steve Welling's Office Manager Telford and Telford and Wrekin Council
	Stoke Press Officer
	Stoke-on-Trent City Council and NSRP Board Member
	Stoke-on-Trent Locality Manager for GOWM
	Stoke-on-Trent PCT
	StreetGames
	Supporting officer Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Supporting officer Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Telford and Wrekin Council
	Telford Constituency
	The Drum
	Tourism West Midlands
	Transforming Telford
	UK Trade and Investment
	Vice Chancellor Keele University
	Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
	Warwick Arts Centre
	West Midlands Business Council
	West Midlands LGA/RA
	West Midlands Network of Rural Community Councils representing Voluntary and Community Sector
	West Midlands Regional Assembly
	West Midlands Regional Observatory
	Worcestershire County Council

Companies Act 2006

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whom his Department consulted before he decided to delay the implementation of certain provisions of the Companies Act 2006 to 1st October 2009; and how such consultation was conducted.

Stephen Timms: The Government's decision to delay final implementation of the Companies Act 2006 was taken in the light of advice from the Registrar of Companies that he can not be absolutely confident of implementing the necessary changes to Companies House systems and processes by October 2009. We did not carry out external consultation before making this announcement because this could not have affected the advice to Ministers from the Registrar of Companies. We are however consulting key stakeholders about the commencement date for provisions, such as those relating to the general duties of directors in respect of conflicts of interest, which do not necessitate changes to Companies House systems and processes.

Companies Act 2006

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the financial effect on companies as a result of the change in the proposed date for the implementation of provisions of the Companies Act 2006 from 1 October 2008 to 1 October 2009.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 November 2007
	 The Government recognise that companies need clarity about the commencement timetable for the Companies Act 2006 so that they can make proper preparation for full implementation. In particular, we wished to avoid companies making changes to their articles of association in the 2008 annual general meeting season in a way which would have required them to hold an extraordinary general meeting if the commencement timetable were changed next year. The Government have therefore decided, in the light of advice from the Registrar of Companies that he can not be absolutely confident of implementing the necessary changes to Companies House systems and processes by October 2009, to announce a change to the timetable now so that companies do not incur unnecessary costs.

Renewable Energy: EU Countries

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what information his Department holds on the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources of energy in each of the EU member states  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the most recent date for which information is available.

Malcolm Wicks: Electricity from renewable energy as a percentage of gross electricity consumption is published by Eurostat. The information for 1997 and 2005 is as follows. 2005 is the latest year for which such information is available for all member states:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   1997  2005 
			 Cyprus — — 
			 Malta — — 
			 Estonia 0.1 1.1 
			 Belgium 1.0 2.8 
			 Poland 1.8 2.9 
			 Luxembourg 2.0 3.2 
			 Lithuania 2.6 3.9 
			 United Kingdom 1.9 4.3 
			 Czech Republic 3.5 4.5 
			 Hungary 0.6 4.6 
			 Ireland 3.8 6.8 
			 Netherlands 3.5 7.5 
			 Greece 8.6 10.0 
			 Germany 4.3 10.5 
			 France 15.2 11.3 
			 Bulgaria 7.0 11.8 
			 Italy 16.0 14.1 
			 Spain 19.7 15.0 
			 Portugal 38.3 16.0 
			 Slovakia 14.5 16.5 
			 Slovenia 26.9 24.2 
			 Finland 25.3 26.9 
			 Denmark 8.8 28.2 
			 Romania 30.5 35.8 
			 Latvia 46.7 48.4 
			 Sweden 49.1 54.3 
			 Austria 67.2 57.9 
			 EU (27 countries) 13.1 14.0 
			  Source: Euros tat http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu

Burma: Sanctions

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is Government policy to support  (a) further UN sanctions and  (b) economic incentives in relation to the Burmese regime; and which option the UK's partners on the UN Security Council favour.

Kim Howells: The Government support the use of targeted sanctions against the Burmese regime. It expects to secure an amended EU Common Position at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 19-20 November, extending EU sanctions against Burma.
	The Government fully support the efforts of the UN to bring about meaningful political dialogue and national reconciliation in Burma. The Government also recognise that there is a role for economic initiatives, conditional on progress with reconciliation and democracy. To that end, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote to the UN Secretary-General on 16 October outlining the case for the international community to pursue such an economic initiative. There is broad support within the UN for maintaining all forms of pressure on the regime for change.

Developing Countries: Politics and Government

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out his strategy to strengthen democratic capacity in developing nations over the next three years.

Kim Howells: holding answer 21 November 2007
	The UK is committed to promoting democratic principles and values around the world. Our approach is grounded in our upholding universal human rights standards to which all countries are bound as well as giving support to democratic institutions, good governance and the rule of law. Democracy is built on rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, association, movement and information.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports democratic capacity through:
	supporting relevant initiatives in international organisations like the UN, EU, African Union, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Commonwealth;
	promoting a common approach to good governance in international bodies and helping to mainstream good governance in development co-operation;
	encouraging fair electoral processes, including through support for effective international electoral observations missions and follow up;
	contributing to the European Instrument on Democracy and Human Rights;
	lobbying and supporting governments to develop pluralist political systems and effective parliamentary institutions;
	promoting freedom of expression, including support for free media; and
	supporting partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), human rights defenders and professional bodies and participation of civil society in decision making.
	We do this through our network of missions around the world as well as through international organisations, the EU and with NGOs and civil society. We also support the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, through £4.1 million grant-in-aid in this financial year.
	Further information on the Government's work on human rights, democracy and governance can be found in the FCO's 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights, which is on the FCO's website: www.fco.gov.uk. Copies of the report are also available in the Libraries of both Houses. In addition, the FCO and Department for International Development (DFID) jointly launched a DFID publication this summer, entitled "Governance, Development and Democratic Politics" which highlighted the value the Government place on democratic politics as a set of principles and values which ensure that differences can be negotiated peacefully, and the views of all heard.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give an assessment of the changes made to the access arrangements to and from the Gaza Strip since 14 June.

Kim Howells: Since Hamas seized control of Gaza on 14 June, the majority of crossings into Gaza have remained closed. As of 12 November, only two crossings into Gaza are operating: Kerem Shalom: for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies; and Erez: for personnel movement (workers and traders) to and from Israel and the West Bank. The Erez crossing opening hours, have, however, been reduced.
	There is a pressing economic and humanitarian need to overcome the obstacles to re-opening Gaza's crossings. The Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) has expressed concern over the continued closure of major crossing points. The UN is actively involved in trying to find a solution. The EU has called "on all parties to work towards an opening of the crossings in and out of Gaza". My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue on his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 17 and 18 November.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his comments of 12 November 2007,  Official Report, column 405, on the Debate on the address, whether in his assessment the access and egress arrangements for the local population in Gaza were satisfactory before 14 June.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Margaret Beckett) said in a written answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 242W.
	"It is essential that progress is made on movement and access in, and between, the West Bank and Gaza and security sector transformation to ensure a viable future Palestinian state. This requires the active engagement of both parties. In the meantime, we will continue to call upon both parties to implement their commitments under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access and support US Security Co-ordinator General Dayton's plans on security sector transformation."
	We have regularly called on both parties to implement the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. The 23 April EU General Affairs External Relations Council recalled
	"the utmost importance of the full implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access. It urges that Rafah and all other crossing points, notable Kami, be reopened and remain open".

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of the peace talks scheduled for Annapolis in November being attended by those countries whose territory is occupied by Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The US and Israel have indicated that they would be willing for Syria to attend the Annapolis meeting. We support their position. It will be for the Syrians to decide whether or not to attend. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch Brown, and I met the Syrian Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah Dardari on 8 November, during which we encouraged Syria to engage constructively on the meeting.
	The meeting in Annapolis will be key to moving the peace process forward. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 8 October,  Official Report, column 24
	"we would like to see an agreement that puts the Israelis and Palestinians on a path to real negotiations in 2008, leading to a final settlement of two states living side by side in peace and security."

Palestinians: Travel Restrictions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the government of Israel on roadblocks, checkpoints and other restrictions on movement within the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and on which occasions such representations have been made formally since the Mecca agreement of 8 February 2007.

Kim Howells: The implementation of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access stalled following the election of Hamas in January 2006. We continue to call on both the Israelis and the Palestinians to implement the agreement. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about movement and access with the Government of Israel. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue on his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 17 and 18 November.

Uganda: Human Rights

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the issues of  (a) human rights,  (b) corruption and  (c) attacks on the judiciary and the press are on the agenda of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Uganda; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I can confirm that my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary will discuss these issues at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Data Protection: Passengers

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) airlines,  (b) ferry operators and  (c) international rail service operators will be required to provide passenger name record information (i) as a matter of course and (ii) upon request from March 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Legislation will shortly be introduced to require carriers to provide travel document information (TDI) together with passenger name record data (PNR) (otherwise known as other passenger information (OPI)) to e-Borders to the extent that it is known to the carrier.
	From March 2008 those carriers which provide OPI data under existing arrangements to Project Semaphore, the e-Borders pilot project, will be expected to continue to do so. The Government have funded transmission and transaction costs together with some systems change costs of participation in this pilot. Analysis of both OPI and TDI data have delivered significant operational benefits to border agencies, contributing to the arrest of individuals wanted for offences including murder, drug smuggling, rape and assault; and has led to the seizure of counterfeit travel documents, drugs and contraband. This arrangement however, was always with the understanding that the funding would cease in March 2008 and we will continue to fulfil our undertaking to industry to meet these costs until then.
	The e-Borders Programme will cover the majority of passenger movements by 2009 and is committed to using all reasonable efforts to achieve a fair and equitable roll out. This will be implemented progressively, in a consultative and collaborative manner with carriers and port operators.

Entry Clearances

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 24 October 2007,  Official Report, column 346W, on entry clearances, whether she plans to collect and collate data on applications for indefinite leave to remain for individuals on a  (a) constituency basis and  (b) local authority area basis; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: As part of the Border and Immigration Agency's transition to full Agency status (and notwithstanding the announcement on 13 November about the creation of the new UK Border Agency), it has begun to make more data available to its partners, including local authorities to help them deliver, and eliminate abuse of, their services. In support of this, the Agency is examining whether any changes will be required to its current data collection and collation arrangements in respect of the location of those applying for indefinite leave to remain applications, and in other categories.
	However, any geographical data that is provided will be based on a 'snapshot' of where individual applicants were located on the last occasion that they needed to be in official contact with the Agency. The data will therefore be limited in its application (and this limitation will apply to any data that is derived from address or post code information that the Agency holds).

Immigration Controls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she received from her counterparts in Romania and Bulgaria before making the decision to continue the restrictions on migrant workers from these countries.

Liam Byrne: The Romanian and Bulgarian governments were invited to contribute evidence on the type of work being undertaken by their migrants in the UK, the experiences of migrants coming to the UK to work and the impact of migration on the public, private and voluntary sectors in Bulgaria and Romania. Both governments provided evidence which was carefully considered before the UK Government's final decision was made.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets his Department has set to improve the quality of child care provision in England.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 20 November 2007
	We have a Public Service Agreement target to improve the outcomes for children at age five and also to reduce inequalities in outcomes between the children from the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and their peers. We set annual targets for local authorities that reflect this PSA.
	High quality provision is essential if we are raise outcomes and reduce inequalities. We are supporting the sector by significantly investing in raising the qualification levels of the workforce to raise child care quality, with an aim of having a graduate in every full daycare setting by 2015. We are supporting this aim through the Transformation Fund and from 1 April 2008, the Graduate Leader Fund. Also we are funding the NCB to promote continuous quality improvement in the child care sector, through a sector wide network and by establishing universal quality principles. This, with the revised inspection arrangements for early years that Ofsted are currently developing to reflect the new Early Years Foundations Stage framework, support improvement in quality and standards across the sector.

Pupils: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what means assessments for the third key stage will be aligned to new programmes of study under the new secondary curriculum.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is responsible for the delivery of national curriculum assessments. The National Assessment Agency (NAA), which delivers the assessments on their behalf, will use their expertise to produce assessments that match the new curriculum's programme of study; encourage effective learning and teaching; and are widely accepted by the teaching community. Test materials will continue to be developed using rigorous procedures, which include informal trialling of early materials, two formal pre-tests using nationally-representative samples of pupils as well as review by teachers, senior markers and other educational experts at key points in the process. QCA will use their well established procedures to ensure that standards are maintained.

Schools: Sports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of secondary schools in School Sports Partnerships held at least one sports day or sports festival in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 November 2007
	The annual School Sport Survey was introduced in 2003/04. Over the last four years, the percentage of secondary schools that held at least one school sports day or equivalent during the academic year is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage of secondary schools holding a sports day 
			 2003/04 93 
			 2004/05 (1)— 
			 2005/06 95 
			 2006/07 97 
			 (1 )The question was not asked in this year. 
		
	
	Prior to 2003/04, no data was collected on the percentage of schools holding a sports day.

Administration of Justice: Jamaica

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider the merits of giving financial or practical aid to the Jamaican government to assist  (a) its criminal justice system and  (b) its provision for prisoners of Jamaican nationality deported from UK; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The development of the Jamaican criminal justice system is a matter of mutual importance to Jamaica and the UK. The Government continue to provide significant support to the criminal justice sector in Jamaica, including through its assistance to the Jamaica constabulary force, and is looking for ways to develop this further. We are hoping to provide further assistance to the reform of the justice sector which the Jamaican government is pursuing. We are also discussing with the Jamaican government ways of co-operating more closely on the issue of rehabilitation of Jamaicans deported from the UK.

Criminal Justice Act 2003

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many provisions enacted in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 are not yet in force.

Maria Eagle: Only a small percentage of the 329 substantive sections in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 have yet to be implemented. These figures are shown in the following table.
	Officials are actively working on these areas of legislation with a view to implementation, considering resource implications; undertaking pilot exercises; or examining other necessary procedures and practices.
	
		
			   Number of sections  Percentage of sections 
			 Wholly in force 276 84 
			 Partially in force 26 8 
			 Not in force 26 8 
			 Repealed 1 —

Crown Courts: Chelmsford

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time staff were employed in Chelmsford Crown court in each year since 1996-97, broken down by grade.

Maria Eagle: As of 30 September 2007 a total of 33 staff are recorded as working for our Crown court in Chelmsford. The following table details their grade and full or part-time status of directly employed staff, along with comparative data for each year since 31 March 1997.
	
		
			  Chelmsford Crown court staff 
			  Government grade  F ull-time  Part-time  Grand total 
			  30 September 2007
			 AA 5 4 9 
			 AO 7 2 9 
			 EO 8 3 11 
			 G7 2 0 2 
			 HEO 1 0 1 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 24 9 33 
			 
			  31 March 2006
			 AA 5 5 10 
			 AO 6 3 9 
			 EO 8 2 10 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 24 10 34 
			 
			  31 March 2005
			 AA 6 5 11 
			 AO 8 4 12 
			 EO 10 2 12 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 2 0 2 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 28 11 39 
			 
			  31 March 2004
			 AA 5 7 12 
			 AO 8 1 9 
			 EO 8 3 11 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 0 0 0 
			 Grand total 25 11 36 
			 
			  31 March 2003
			 AA| 6 5 11 
			 AO 4 2 6 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 0 0 0 
			 Grand total 21 9 30 
			 
			  31 March 2002
			 AA 5 6 11 
			 AO 4 2 6 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 3 0 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 20 10 30 
			 
			  31 March 2001
			 AA 4 5 9 
			 AO 6 2 8 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 3 1 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 21 10 31 
			 
			  31 March 2000
			 AA 6 4 10 
			 AO 4 2 6 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 2 1 3 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 20 9 29 
			 
			  31 March 1999
			 AO 5 2 7 
			 CAS AO 0 1 1 
			 EO 8 1 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 3 1 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 SGB 1 2 0 2 
			 SGB 2 6 3 9 
			 Grand total 25 8 33 
			 
			  31 March 1998
			 AO 5 1 6 
			 EO 7 1 8 
			 HEO 4 0 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 SGB 1 2 0 2 
			 SGB 2 7 4 11 
			 TYP 0 2 2 
			 Grand total 26 8 34 
			 
			  31 March 1997
			 AA 1 0 1 
			 AO 7 1 8 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 SGB 1 2 0 2 
			 SGB 2 7 5 12 
			 TYP 0 2 2 
			 Grand total 28 10 38

Dangerous Driving: Foreigners

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals have been charged with offences under Sections 2 or 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Information on drivers charged with motoring offences is not collected centrally. The Court Proceedings Database held by my Department identifies proceedings under sections 2 and 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. However, the nationality of those proceeded against does not form part of that information.

Frankland Prison

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been segregated under Rule 43 conditions in HM Prison Frankland since April 2007; and how long the period of segregation has been in each case.

Maria Eagle: It is assumed that the hon. Member is referring to Rule 45 which replaced Rule 43 in 1999. The following table shows the number of prisoners who are recorded as having commenced a period of detention in the segregation unit at Frankland on or after 1 April 2007 up to 15 November 2007. Some of these prisoners remain in the segregation unit.
	
		
			  Number of weeks held in the segregation unit  Number of prisoners  Comments 
			 Under 1 week 30 3 continuing to be held, one of whom is being employed 
			 1-2 weeks 12 1 continuing to be held 
			 2-3 weeks 5 1 continuing to be held 
			 3-4 weeks 7 1 continuing to be held 
			 4-5 weeks 5 3 continuing to be held 
			 5-6 weeks 3 1 continuing to be held 
			 6-7 weeks 1 — 
			 7-8 weeks 6 2 continuing to be held 
			 9-10 weeks 2 1 continuing to be held 
			 10-11 weeks 1 — 
			 13-14 weeks 1 — 
			 14-15 weeks 3 — 
			 15-16 weeks 1 — 
			 22-23 weeks 1 — 
			 23-24 weeks 0 — 
			 24-25 weeks 1 1 continuing to be held although also being employed. 
			 Total 79 —

Joint Ministerial Committee

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the next plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee is planned to take place.

Michael Wills: The UK Government and the devolved administrations are committed, wherever possible, to conduct business through normal administrative channels, either at official or ministerial level. The JMC has met regularly in functional formats to discuss matters of mutual interest to the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. The UK Government are considering when it would be appropriate for a meeting of the JMC in plenary session to take place.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) budget and  (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is shown in Table 1 in respect of executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPB's) sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Information on 2007-08 budgets is consistent with the Winter Supplementary Estimate laid before Parliament on 15 November 2007.
	The Northern Ireland Court Service (NICtS) supports the Lord Chancellor in discharging his ministerial responsibilities in Northern Ireland, including responsibility for judicial appointments and legal aid. It also sponsors two executive NDPB's and their details can be found in Table 2.
	Following machinery of government changes, on 9 May 2007 the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Youth Justice Board and Parole Board transferred from the Home Office and became the responsibility of the newly formed MoJ. The Judicial Appointments Commission, Legal Services Commission and Office of the Information Commissioner were formerly sponsored by the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and are now sponsored by MoJ.
	Details of the remit, Government funding and gross expenditure of public bodies sponsored by NICtS, the former DCA and Home Office can be found in executive NDPB's annual reports, which are in the Libraries of the House. Details can also be found in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 2006", which is available in the Libraries of the House and online at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: MoJ executive non-departmental public bodies 
			  NDPB  2007-08 Budget  Remit  Current chairman  2006-07 salary 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission £7.1 million The JAC is the independent public body that selects and recommends candidates for judicial office in England and Wales. It does so on merit, through fair and open competition and from the widest range of eligible candidates. Baroness Prashar £105,000 
			 Legal Services Commission £2,141.4 million The LSC runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales, providing information, advice and legal representation to help about two million people each year get access to justice. The Community Legal Service helps people with civil legal problems such as family breakdown, debt, asylum and housing. The Criminal Defence Service helps people who are Under police investigation or facing criminal charges Sir Michael Bichard £69,000 
			 Office of the Information Commissioner £5.0 million net (after setting off notification fees collected under the Data Protection Act 1998 against expenditure on Data Protection functions as Data Protection activities are self funded through collection of the fee which is forecast to be £10.6 million). The ICO is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information. The ICO enforces and oversees the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Regulations, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Richard Thomas (Information Commissioner) £98,592 
			 Criminal Cases Review Commission £6.8 million The CCRC is the independent public body set up to investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Commission assesses whether convictions or sentences should be referred to a court of appeal. Professor Graham Zellick £165,900 
			 Parole Board £7.8 million The Parole Board for England and Wales is an independent public body that works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by making risk assessments about prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community and must remain in or be returned to custody. Professor Sir Duncan Nichol CBE £75,000-£80,000 
			 Youth Justice Board £424.8 million The YJB is responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. It works to prevent offending and re-offending by children and young people under the age of 18 and to ensure that custody for them is safe, secure, and addresses the causes of their offending behaviour. Graham Robb (interim)—from February 2007 £10,000-£15,000 (2 months as chair and 10 as a member) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Northern Ireland Court Service executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) 
			  NDPB  2007-08 Budget (£ million )  Remit  Current chairman  2006-07 Salary 
			 Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission 1.5 To make recommendations for appointments to judicial offices in Northern Ireland up to and including High Court Judge Right hon. Sir Brian Kerr (Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland) No salary received from NDPB 
			 Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission 72.4 The provision of publicly funded legal services in Northern Ireland Jim Daniel A daily rate of £436 is payable together with travel expenses. No bonus is payable

Offenders: Curfews

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders sentenced to a curfew order or a community sentence with a curfew condition were unlawfully at large in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) category of offence,  (b) contract region and  (c) police force area; and what penalties were imposed on each contractor as a result.

David Hanson: If an offender subject to a curfew order or community sentence with a curfew requirement breaches their conditions, they are not deemed to be unlawfully at large, and the breach is not an arrestable offence. In such cases either the contractor or the responsible criminal justice agency will undertake enforcement proceedings with the court, and a summons will be issued to the offender. In some cases the court may issue a community penalty breach warrant to enforce attendance at a breach hearing.
	The contractors' performance is not measured according to the volume of curfew breaches recorded as this is not within their control. They will incur financial penalties for failing to meet targets on 16 service levels relating to their monitoring operation. These are audited monthly by the Ministry of Justice.

Offenders: Education

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for education and training for offenders in prisons was in the last financial year; and what percentage this represents of the total prisons' budget.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Education and Skills spent £96,133,384 on learning and skills delivery in public sector prisons in 2006-07. According to the 2006-07 HMPS Annual Report, the net operating cost of the Prison Service in that financial year was £1,936 million.

Offenders: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date the Government intends to publish its response to the Corston Review.

David Hanson: The Government have given a broad welcome to the report. The 43 recommendations which it makes are wide-ranging and propose action by a number of different Government departments and organisations. We are carefully exploring the best way of taking forward the recommendations with all the departments and agencies concerned and hopefully we will be able to respond in a positive way before Christmas.

Politics and Government

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated cost is of the regional event to promote the White Paper, The Governance of Britain in Leicester on 10 December 2007.

Michael Wills: We estimate that the event in Leicester on 10 December will cost in the region of £40,000. Final costs will be available once the event has been completed.

Politics and Government

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations have been engaged by his Department to provide services for regional events to promote the White Paper, The Governance of Britain.

Michael Wills: The Central Office of Information has been contracted to provide support in delivering the "Governance of Britain" event to be held in Leicester on 10 December.

Politics and Government

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) date and  (b) location is of each regional event arranged to promote the White Paper, The Governance of Britain.

Michael Wills: To date, only one event has been scheduled to engage people on the Governance of Britain Green Paper. This will take place in Leicester on 10 December. Further events will take place early in the new year.

Prison Officers Association

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Prison Officers' Association about their recommendation to issue batons to prison officers, with particular reference to their issue in young offender institutions.

Maria Eagle: Following a visit to Ford open prison the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (Mr. Sutcliffe) wrote to the local Prison Officers' Association branch chairman on 30 May 2007 announcing a review to examine if there was firm evidence to support the carrying of batons in all areas of the prison estate that do not currently carry them. The National POA were informed of the review in June 2007. More recently the review was discussed at a meeting between the POA and the Justice Secretary on 30 October 2007. The Secretary of State has also discussed the issue with a number of local POA branches on recent visits to establishments.

Prisoners Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many companies tendered for the contracts awarded to SERCO for the movement of prisoners in the Greater London area.

Maria Eagle: Two companies tendered for the London and South East area contract.
	They were Securicor, now trading as G4S and Premier, who changed names to Serco in 2005 and were awarded the contract.

Prisoners Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether more or fewer persons are provided by SERCO for the movement of prisoners in the Greater London area than were engaged in such work prior to the inception of his Department's contract with SERCO.

Maria Eagle: The previous generation of contracts covered different geographical areas and so no direct comparison is possible. SERCO staff work across the geographical area of the contract.
	SERCO employed 1,215 staff in operational posts on this contract as at June 2007. Approximately 60 per cent. (729) were court based, the rest were vehicle crews; vehicle crews also perform some court duties to augment staff dedicated to court functions.
	The level of staffing was agreed in detailed consultation with Her Majesty's Court Service at the time of the contract specification by Her Majesty's Prison Service.
	Contractors are incentivised to staff according to the needs of the court's business, and are not paid when court rooms are not staffed.
	A performance penalty is applied when court rooms are not staffed but should have been, and were contracted to be staffed.

Prisoners Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons are employed by the contractor SERCO to deal with movement of prisoners in cases involving  (a) the magistrates courts and  (b) the Crown courts in the Greater London area.

Maria Eagle: SERCO utilise their staff throughout their contract area which covers London and the south east. The number of staff dealing with the movement of prisoners to magistrates and Crown courts in the Greater London area is therefore variable depending on which courts are sitting and the number of cases listed for appearance.

Prisoners Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual cost of his Department's contract with SERCO has been for the movement of prisoners in the Greater London area in each year since its inception.

Maria Eagle: The Greater London area is included as part of a wider geographical contract for the "London and South East" area and financial data is not routinely recorded to show what was spent moving prisoners within the Greater London area. Additionally, the provisions of the contract include services other than transportation of prisoners.
	Details of the cost of the full service in London and South East are only available on a full year's basis from 1 April 2005.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 46.4 
			 2006-07 56.8 
			 1 April 2007 to 20 October 2007 31.9

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements there are for faith and ethnicity monitoring among prisoners who are victims of assault.

Maria Eagle: The Prison Service Local Inmate Database System (LIDS) and its planned replacement C-NOMIS allow recording of both the religion and ethnicity of prisoners. The Incident Reporting System (IRS), used for recording assaults, routinely incorporates ethnicity information of any prisoners involved whether as assailants, fighters or victims etc. IRS does not routinely include religion of prisoners, but there are sampling techniques in place, that typically capture more than 70 per cent. or prisoner involvements, to analyse faith aspects of assaults when required.

Prisons: Education

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reductions in the prisons budget do not affect the level of education provision in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The budget for education provision in prisons is held by the Learning and Skills Council and is not affected by reductions in the Prison Service budget. The Prison Service is aware of the need to ensure that the delivery of programmes for offenders to help reduce re-offending, including vocational skills for employment and other prison regimes associated with delivery of learning, is fully considered when reviewing operational savings in the light of reduced prison funding.

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of terrorist offences have committed further crimes  (a) since being released and  (b) while on licence in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Re-offending of discharged prisoners is measured annually based on those discharged in the first quarter of every year. On this basis, only one person convicted with a terrorist offence under the Terrorism Acts of 2000 and 2006 has been discharged/released during this period.

Wormwood Scrubs: Telephones

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to inmates was of using payphones in HMP Wormwood Scrubs in each of the last 10 years for  (a) UK and  (b) overseas calls.

Maria Eagle: There is a national contract with British Telecom for HM Prison Service public sector prisons which sets the cost of calls for all prisons. Records are available dating back to the introduction of pin-phones to HMP Wormwood Scrubs in 2003. Information for the remaining period could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	From 2003 to the present date the cost for national and local calls within the UK is identical at 11 pence per minute (10 pence minimum charge for 55 seconds plus one pence for each 5.5 seconds or part thereof).
	BT International calls are charged at rates ranging from 75 pence per minute to £3 per minute, depending on the destination of the call.
	HMP Wormwood Scrubs is one of around 75 establishments which also operates the authorised international calling card system. The card can be purchased by prisoners through the prison shop and are available in two dominations currently £3 and £5,
	Rates to each country are set out in Chapter 4 of Prison Service Order 4400, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	Calls to mobiles within the UK are charged at the following rates:
	
		
			   Pence 
			 Monday to Friday 08.01 to 18.00 63.0 
			 Monday to Thursday 18.01 to 08.00 37.5 
			 Friday 18.01 to 24.00 37.5 
			 00.01 Saturday to 24.00 Sunday 19.0

Young Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to increase the time spent by young offenders in the youth prison estate  (a) playing team sports,  (b) on educational activity and  (c) outside cells.

Maria Eagle: Young people in young offender institution accommodation commissioned by the Youth Justice Board must be given 25 hours learning per week and spend less than 14 hours per day locked in their room. Physical education —often with opportunity for team sports—is provided both within the learning hours and in recreation. There are no plans to increase the hours given to learning and time out of room.

Young Offenders: Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of persons in young offender institutions are drug addicts.

David Hanson: Data on the number of prisoners in young offender institutions, who are drug dependent, is not recorded. Instead NOMS relies on epidemiological research which has previously shown 76 per cent. of young male offenders aged 18-21 assessed (within a young offender institution) as being dependent on at least one drug.

St. Helier Hospital: Hospital Beds

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reductions there have been in the number of beds at St. Helier hospital, Surrey in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally by the Department.

St. Helier Hospital: ICT

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the full cost was of the installation of the centralised computer booking system at St. Helier hospital, Surrey.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally by the Department. It is for the local national health service to decide on information technology systems.

Ambulance Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to ambulance trusts on the management and roles of emergency care practitioners.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not issued guidance to ambulance trusts on the management and roles of emergency care practitioners. However there are a number of reports and documents that will help the national health service to develop the roles of this important staff group. In particular, the Modernisation Agency published a report in 2004 to raise awareness of the role of emergency care practitioners and their potential impact and Skills for Health have recently published a framework document "Competence and Curriculum Framework for the Emergency Care Practitioner" (July 2007).

Ambulance Services: South East Coast Strategic Health Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1162W, on Ambulance Services, South East Coast Strategic Health Authority, if he will list the publications to which the answer refers; and if he will place in the Library copies of such publications.

Dawn Primarolo: As stated in my answer of 17 October, this is a matter for the local national health service. I have therefore asked the chief executive of West Sussex Primary Care Trust to write to the hon. Member about this matter.

Aortic Aneurysm: Males

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what analysis he has made of the  (a) merits and  (b) costs of screening men aged 65 years or over for aortic aneurysm;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of how many lives might be saved each year if universal screening for aortic aneurysm in men aged 65 years or over was available across the National Health Service;
	(3)  with reference to the answer of 25 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1192W, on abdominal aortic aneurysm, what further steps he has taken following the recommendation of the National Screening Committee that a national screening policy should be implemented by his Department for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to introduce a screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysms in older men.

Ann Keen: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) has advised that screening men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can be recommended in principle. Before making its recommendation, the NSC considered the evidence, merits and costs of introducing the screening programme against its internationally recognised criteria.
	Detailed work is being undertaken in developing proposals for AAA screening in England, to assess the practical implications. This assessment is taking into account the likely impact of a screening programme on existing healthcare services and the infrastructure and staffing requirements in order for a programme to be safely introduced. Such assessments are undertaken before major screening policy decisions are made.
	Initial finding have suggested that around 700 deaths could be prevented 10 years after screening is introduced, rising eventually to around 1,600 per year.

Arrhythmic Death Syndrome

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is being done to raise awareness of and tackle, sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

Ann Keen: In 2005, the Department issued an additional Chapter to the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework (CHD NSF), launched in 2000. The additional chapter, chapter 8, covers arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Chapter 8 sets out quality requirements and markers of good practice in developing and delivering services in this area.

Childbirth: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born while their mothers were in transit to  (a) Eastbourne District General Hospital and  (b) Hastings Conquest Hospital in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.

Chiropody: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to improve NHS chiropody services in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Dawn Primarolo: It is for local primary care trusts in conjunction with other local stakeholders and their strategic health authorities to commission services to the local community including chiropody services.
	The hon. Member may wish to contact the chief executive of East Sussex and Downs Weald Primary Care Trust which commission services for Eastbourne and East Sussex.

Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers in his Department have held with the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection since 21 September; whether they have discussed the European Commission's proposals for a directive on cross-border health care; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There have been ongoing discussions for several years within the European Union (EU) about the provision of cross-border health care in the light of existing case law on patient mobility. The Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) will next meet with the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection on 20 November to discuss, among other issues, the forthcoming proposal regarding a general framework for the provision of cross-border health care within the EU. In future discussions on the proposal, the Department will work to protect the United Kingdom's interests, emphasising the need for any European legislation in this area to be proportionate.

Dental Services: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in Barnet treat NHS patients; how many patients in Barnet are unable to access NHS dental treatment; how many dental practices ceased to provide NHS treatment in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Dental Services Division (DSD) can only provide validated information on National Health Service dental practices at disproportionate cost.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment. The closest equivalent current measure is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table Cl of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trusts per area in England.
	The number of NHS dentists as at 31 March 2007 are available in Table E2 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report.
	Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607

Dental Services: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental surgeries offer free dental care in West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency; and how many did so in May 1997.

Ann Keen: National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Dental Services Division (DSD) can only provide validated information on the number of national health service dental practices within a constituency offering NHS dental care at disproportionate cost. Some NHS treatment attracts patient charges.
	The number of dentists are available in Annex G of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006". This report has been placed in the Library.
	Information is available at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) area in England 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006.
	Information is based on the old contractual arrangements. The report is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	The number of NHS dentists year ending 31 March 2007 are available in Table E2 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report". Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent current measure is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table Cl of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report". Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	This report has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered for NHS dentistry services in the  (a) Cumbria primary care trust and  (b) Morecambe Bay primary care trust in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Patients registered with an NHS dentist are available in Annex A of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006". This report has been placed in the Library.
	Information is available at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) area in England 31 March 1997—31 March 2006.
	Information is based on the old contractual arrangements. The report is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collecttions/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	As from 1 October 2006, Morecambe Bay PCT was split and the rural sector has been integrated into Cumbria PCT. Carlisle and District PCT, Eden Valley PCT and West Cumbria PCT also came together then to form the new Cumbria PCT. The remaining sector of Morecambe Bay PCT integrated into North Lancashire PCT.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table C1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report". Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	This report has been placed in the House of Commons Library and is also available on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	Both reports are published by The Information Centre for health and social care.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists on NHS contracts were registered in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in each year since 2001.

Ann Keen: Numbers of national health service dentists at parliamentary constituency, primary care trusts (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) area as at 31 March 2001 to 2006 are available in Annex E and G of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006".
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The numbers of NHS dentists at PCT and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table E1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report. Constituency level data can only be made available at disproportionate cost.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	The inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms means that data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system.
	Note that the numbers quoted are headcounts and do not differentiate between full and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Both reports have been published by The Information Centre for health and social care.

Dental Services: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are registered with NHS dentists in Eastbourne constituency.

Ann Keen: The information requested by the hon. Member is not held centrally by the Department.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a national heath service dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent current measure is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen1) in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table Cl of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report. Information is available for strategic health authority and primary care trust areas, in England, but not at constituency level.
	The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607

Dental Services: Manpower

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were per head of population in each English constituency in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The information required is not available at constituency level. However, numbers of persons per NHS dentist at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) level as at 31 March 1997 annually to 31 March 2006 are available in Annex F of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006".
	This information is based on contractual arrangements prior to 31 March 2006. This report is available in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	The numbers of national health service dentists per 100,000 persons at PCT and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07 report".
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. The report is available in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.
	However, data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system due to the inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms.
	Published numbers are headcounts and do not differentiate between full and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Both reports have been published by the information centre for health and social care.

Departmental Correspondence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's targets are for answering correspondence from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public.

Ben Bradshaw: The Cabinet Office publishes "Guidance for Departments on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs, and Members of Devolved Assemblies". The target set by the Cabinet Office for responding to correspondence from hon. Members is a maximum of 20 working days. The Department target for replying to correspondence from both hon. Members and members of the public is 20 working days.

Departmental Cost-effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efficiency savings projects his Department put in place under the Spending Review 2004 targets; on what date each was initiated; how much each was expected to contribute to the target; how much was saved by each; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Details of projects contributing to the Department's efficiency target for the 2004 Spending Review (SR04) are provided in our Efficiency Technical Note (ETN), published in December 2005, a copy of which is available in the Library, and is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4124041
	The ETN sets out the predicted contribution of each of the main groups of projects (workstreams). It also indicates the scale of expected contribution for each project. It does not specifically indicate individual project start dates.
	The ETN makes clear that the efficiency programme would continue to evolve during the delivery period with the inclusion of opportunities identified after 2005, and potential changes in the relative contributions of different workstreams and projects.
	We delayed republishing the ETN pending final agreements with HM Treasury and the National Audit Office regarding a few areas of measurement, which have now been agreed. The updated document is almost complete and will be published prior to our next planned reporting of progress in our autumn performance report in December. I will include project start dates. A copy of the final publication will also be placed on the Department's website and is in the Library.
	Contributing projects had delivered the following savings at the end of June 2007.
	
		
			  Workstream  Project  Contribution (£ million) 
			 Procurement Supply chain projects 970 
			 Procurement Pharmaceuticals 1625 
			 Productive time Process improvement 1733 
			 Productive time Input costs 272 
			 Productive time Time releasing 31 
			 Social care Local projects 518 
			 Corporate services Corporate services 58 
			 Public funding and regulation DH operating costs 57 
			 Public funding and regulation Arms length bodies 206 
			 Public funding and regulation Strategic health authority and primary care trust restructuring 54 
			 Total  5524 
			  Note: Some figures include in-year estimates of 2006-07 contribution that will be validated at the year end.

Departmental Health Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies have private health insurance provided as part of their employment package.

Ben Bradshaw: None of the officials in the Department or its agencies has private health insurance provided as part of their employment packages.

Departmental ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make available the IP addresses of computers in his Department used by  (a) special advisers,  (b) Ministers and  (c) press officers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not release IP addresses of its computers as this could facilitate an attack by someone with malicious intent.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to page 20 of his Department's resource accounts for 2006-07, which NHS organisations contributed to his Department's capital underspend in 2006-07 by delaying capital investment because they were in the process of financial recovery; and what the value of the capital underspend for each organisation was.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for strategic health authorities, working with organisations in their economy, to agree plans for both revenue and capital investment and, where appropriate, any plans needed to achieve financial recovery.

Dermatology

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of regional variations in financing of dermatology services for patients with skin disease; and whether regional funding formulae take into account any aspect of dermatological care provision.

Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the alleged regional variations in funding for dermatology services. The regional funding formulae does not specifically take into account dermatological care provision.
	It is the responsibility of local health bodies to fund dermatological services, from their general allocations, to meet the needs of their local population.

Dermatology: Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of  (a) the average and  (b) the maximum length of time a patient waited for a first dermatology outpatient appointment in (i) 2002 and (ii) 2007.

Ann Keen: The information is available in the following tables:
	
		
			  Median waiting times (weeks) for General Practitioner (GP) written referrals seen for dermatology in England in 2002 and 2007 
			 2002 8.12 
			 2007 5.68 
		
	
	
		
			   Maximum waiting times (weeks) for GP written referrals seen for dermatology in England in 2002 and 2007  Number of GP written referrals seen who waited for maximum waiting time for dermatology in England 
			 2002 26+ 27,347 
			 2007 17+ 240 
			  Note: The median is reported rather than the mean as the distribution of waiting times is skewed towards the right: the mean would be affected by outliers.  Source: Department of Health Form QMOSrs

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places he expects will be provided for registrar group doctors in 2008, broken down by region and specialty.

Ann Keen: There will be over 18,000 training posts at levels ST1 to ST4 from August 2008, of which over 10,000 are already filled by applicants who successfully applied for run-through training places in 2007.
	The Department estimates that there will be approximately 8,000 training places
	advertised in 2008. Final details are being discussed with the Deaneries.
	Recruitment to specialty training will start on 5 January 2008 and we will publicise the details and breakdown prior to that. We intend to publish the information on the Modernising Medical Careers website for the benefit of applicants.

Eastbourne Hospital: Cleaning Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Patient Environment Action Team scores for cleanliness were in the Eastbourne district general hospital in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Patient Environmental Action Team (PEAT) scores for cleanliness did not exist until 2000. The first PEAT results were published in 2001.
	The following table shows the PEAT assessments for levels of cleanliness at Eastbourne district general hospital from 2001.
	
		
			   Rating 
			 2001 Green 
			 2002 Green 
			 2003 Green 
			 2004 Good 
			 2005 Good 
			 2006 Good 
			 2007 Good 
			  Note: From 2001-03 the scale was green, amber, red - green = good, amber = acceptable, red =poor. 
		
	
	From 2004 onwards the scale changed to a five-point one of excellent, good, acceptable, poor, unacceptable.
	Since 2005, assessments have been undertaken by self-assessment with a percentage independently validated.

Fibromyalgia

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed as suffering from fibromyalgia; what progress has been made in identifying the causes of fibromyalgia and developing a treatment for it; what research his Department is supporting into fibromyalgia; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people living with fibromyalgia is not collected.
	We are not aware of any progress having been made into the causes of, or treatment for, fibromyalgia.
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's expenditure on health research has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including a significant number concerned with fibromyalgia, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is not currently funding research specifically into fibromyalgia although some basic research currently being undertaken will help develop our understanding of the condition.

General Practitioners: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Hemel Hempstead constituency have not been able to register directly with a general practitioner's surgery and have had to register centrally since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect data on individuals who approach their local primary care trust (PCT) directly for help and advice on registration with a local general practitioner (GP) practice. Any individual is free to approach a GP practice near to where he/she is living and apply to join the practiced list of national health service patients. Where a patient is having trouble registering, a PCT can use its powers to allocate a person to a GP practice's list of patients.

Health Education: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on  (a) alcohol and  (b) drug awareness campaigns in Copeland over the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.
	The provision of services for drug and alcohol treatment in Copeland, including awareness campaigns, is commissioned through the Drug and Alcohol Action Team Partnership, using both ring fenced Government grants and budgets and mainstream primary care trust and county council resources

Health Services: Barnet

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of inward migration on health services in Chipping Barnet constituency over the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: This is a matter for the local national health service. It is for the local health organisations to decide how best to serve their local communities.

Health Services: Scotland

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with a home address in Scotland were treated in NHS facilities in England in each year since 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. The data for 2006-07 is not yet available. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) and patients with Scottish postcodes who received treatment under the national health service in England. The data are for NHS hospitals in England, for the data years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Strategic health authority (SHA) of residence description 
			   All other SHA of residence  Scotland 
			  2004-05   
			 Total episodes 13,699,500 7,928 
			 Total patients 7,620,172 5,314 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Total episodes 14,416,891 8,368 
			 Total patients 7,882,214 5,406 
			  Notes: 1. Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  2. Finished consultant episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 3. Patient counts Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HESID. This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell. 4. Health authority (HA) of residence This derived field contains the code for the HA in which the patient lived immediately before admission. Resident SHA (Re-SHA) is derived from the patient's postcode in the field home address. (This may not be the area where treatment took place). If home address is not recognised, Re-SHA may be derived from the health authority of residence notified by the hospital. 5. Primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner practice and SHA of general practitioner practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Hearing Impaired

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered as  (a) partially deaf and  (b) deaf in (i) 1985, (ii) 1990, (iii) 1995, (iv) 2000 and (v) 2007 in (1) South Tyneside, (2) the North East and (3) England.

Ivan Lewis: The following tables show the number of people registered as deaf or hard of hearing for the years available from 1986 to 2007 in England, North East and South Tyneside published by The Information Centre (IC) for health and social care.
	
		
			  Number of people registered as deaf from 1986 to 2007  England, as at 31 March 
			  Councils with Social Services Responsibilities  1986  1989  1992  1995  19982  2001  2004  2007 
			 England(1) 34,100 37,900 41,800 45,500 50,100 50,300 55,000 54,500 
			 North East(1) 2,250 2,350 2,850 2,600 2,550 (3)4.450 2,850 2,850 
			 South Tyneside 65 45 35 115 100 85 90 90 
			 (1) The England and Regional totals are estimates based on SSDA910 returns from councils with social services responsibilities. (2) In April 1996 the local authority structure within the North East region changed and Unitary Authorities were introduced, this does not affect the North East Region totals. (3) The large rise in the 2001 North East figure is explained by evidence provided by Durham local authority that the number of people registered as hard of hearing were also recorded as deaf in this year, this was corrected for the following collection but revised data was not provided.  Source:  IC triennial return SSDA910 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of people registered as hard of hearing from 1986 to 2007  England, as at 31 March 
			  Councils with Social Services Responsibilities  1986  1989  1992  1995 ( 2) 1998  2001  2004  2007 
			 England(1) 63,400 70,300 95,300 125,900 139,500 144,600 158,900 164,600 
			 North East(1) 5,150 7,100 11,450 13550 (3)13,200 13,600 15,150 14,750 
			 South Tyneside 125 90 135 225 180 155 120 90 
			 (1) The England and Regional totals are estimates based on SSDA910 returns from councils with social services responsibilities. (2) In April 1996 the local authority structure within the North East region changed and Unitary Authorities were introduced, this does not affect the North East Region totals. (3) Redcar and Cleveland were unable to provide data for 1998. Therefore the figure for the North East Region is the sum of the raw data and has not been estimated.  Source:  IC triennial return SSDA910

Hospitals: Telephones

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the children's wards on which charges are made for the use of telephones; and what the  (a) peak and  (b) off-peak rates for calls made are in each such ward.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is not party to the contracts which exist between the bedside televisions and telephones service providers and the individual national health service trusts.
	However, the Department understands that generally, where a bedside telephone is available, the charge to the outgoing caller is 10p per minute (20p minimum, in some cases).
	The charge to the incoming caller varies according to the service provider providing the service but in most cases it is 39p per minute off peak rate and 49p minute peak rate.
	Access to free televisions in day rooms and hospital payphones still exist as an alternative.

Independent Reconfiguration Panel

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what date and for what reason the decision was taken to remove the requirement that one third of the members of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel be citizen and patient representatives;
	(2)  what form the annual review of the effectiveness and operation of his Department's Independent Reconfiguration Panel takes;
	(3)  how many staff are employed in the press office of his Department's Independent Reconfiguration Panel; broken down by payband;
	(4)  whether he or his predecessors have ever acted against the advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

Ann Keen: The Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) is the independent expert on NHS service change. The panel was established in 2003 to provide advice to the Secretary of State on contested proposals for health service changes in England.
	The Secretary of State makes the final decision on any disputed proposal after reviewing a final report containing the IRP's recommendations in full, which are submitted to him before publication.
	The panel membership since it was set up has comprised of an equal balance of clinical, managerial and lay representation. There are no plans to change this. Where the IRP considers it necessary additional expert advice is also sought to inform the panel's work.
	The IRP holds an annual review meeting with senior representatives from the Department and publishes an annual review of its business. Business reviews for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are available on the IRP website at www/irpanel.org.uk. A review of business for 2006-07 will be made available shortly.
	Media work on behalf of the IRP is contracted to Central Office of Information (COI).
	The Secretary of State, as a matter of course, requests advice from the IRP on contested closures referred to him by local OSCs. To date the advice of the IRP has been accepted in full. Copies of all IRP reports are available at:
	www.irpanel.org.uk

Lung Cancer: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement a National Lung Cancer Screening programme.

Ann Keen: The national health service cancer plan states that the Government will introduce new screening programmes where it is clear that screening would reduce mortality.
	There is no clear evidence that screening for lung cancer would save lives but the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) keeps lung cancer screening closely under review.
	There is an increasing weight of evidence in support of introducing a trial for the screening of lung cancer. The Department is leading work on behalf of the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) to commission research on the feasibility of a United Kingdom trial of computerised tomography screening for lung cancer.
	The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme has issued a commissioning brief, taking full account of the trials already underway in the United States and Europe, with a view to funding feasibility studies as soon as possible. If there is progression to an exploratory trial and then a full randomised controlled trial, these will take a number of years to complete.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust Community Services teams' psychiatric emergency and assessment unit has opened.

Ann Keen: The Northwest Strategic Health Authority reports that the psychiatric emergency and assessment unit (unit) is partly open and currently accommodates the accident and emergency mental health liaison and bed management teams. Staff are currently being recruited to provide the full range of services for the people of Manchester including facilities to support patients for up to 12 hours while assessment and community support is put in place. It is expected that the full range of services will be available by the end of January 2008.

Maternity Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality of data available that relates to maternity services.

Ann Keen: Our major sources of information relating to maternity services are the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES), and the Office and National Statistics' (ONS) data relating to the number of births registered. According to the NHS Information Centre, HES records 70-75 per cent. of all births while the ONS data are more accurate as a measure of the number of babies being born.
	The Information Centre for health and social care publishes annual maternity activity statistics which combines detailed HES information specific to maternity service with the registered birth information from ONS. Validation is applied to the data before publication. Copies of the NHS Maternity statistics, England, 2004-05 are available in the Library.

Maternity Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the future provision of antenatal services available to patients who are expecting a multiple birth;
	(2)  what guidance has been issued to maternity units to ensure that new born twins, triplets or quads are cared for in the same  (a) unit and  (b) hospital.

Ann Keen: The Department has not issued any guidance specifically on the care of multiple birth babies.
	Neonatal managed clinical networks have established a more structured collaborative approach to caring for newborn babies.
	While priority should be given to keeping mothers and their babies together there are times when their individual needs take priority and that may mean that they are cared for in different hospitals. It is for networks to agree appropriate protocols, standards and pathways of care for use within their local area.

Maternity Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses,  (c) midwives and  (d) health visitors receive in the care and treatment of patients expecting a multiple birth.

Ann Keen: The Royal colleges are responsible for setting the curriculum for specialties to ensure that high educational standards are met in the interests of safe and responsible practice, assessment of training and programmes of education and training. They play a leading role in the delivery of high quality patient care by setting standards of medical practice and promoting clinical excellence.
	The colleges are independent bodies who advise and work with Government, the public, patients and other professionals to improve health and health care. They have their own exacting standards and examinations, exercising a direct influence on the quality of training and the appointment of consultants in all medical specialties.
	Post-registration training needs for national health service staff are determined against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by Local Delivery Plans and the needs of the service.
	Access to training is affected by a number of factors such as the availability of funding, whether staff can be released, the availability of appropriate training interventions, mentors and assessors. It would not be practical for the centre to be prescriptive on this.

MRSA

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA infections were recorded in each trust in each of the last six months.

Ann Keen: The mandatory surveillance system operated run by the Health Protection Agency provides data on the number of reports of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias). All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of blood stream infections processed by their laboratories regarding when or how the infection was acquired.
	The number of MRSA blood stream infections for NHS Acute Trusts for the first two quarters of 2007 are available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results.htm

NHS: Dental Services

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dental patients have been deregistered in each of the last five years in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England and  (c) Suffolk.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Information is available and regularly published on the total number of patients receiving NHS dental services.
	Under the old contractual arrangements which were in place until 2006 patients had to register with an individual dentist. Under the new contractual arrangements, patients do not have to be registered with a dentist to receive national health service care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration1 is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, expressed as a percentage of the estimated population for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Annex A of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006" provides primary care trust (PCT) data on the numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist as at 31 March 1997 and each subsequent year to 31 March 2006. This is available in the library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table C1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report". Information is available at strategic health authority and PCT area in England. This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	Both reports have been published by The Information Centre for health and social care.
	This data shows that access to dental services has remained broadly stable following the reforms in 2006.

NHS: Voluntary Organisations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy for every health trust in England to have a Compact champion to increase NHS involvement in local compacts; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to require primary care trusts, national health service trusts and foundations trusts to identify a Compact champion.
	The Department's commitment to the principles of the Compact on 1 December 2006 was refreshed in a joint statement I made with Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). The "Commissioning Framework for Health and Wellbeing", published on 6 March 2007, reflects the principles of the Compact in positioning the third sector as an important contributor to the commissioning and provision of high quality, responsive services, and promoting a fair playing field for all providers. The Department is committed to working with the Commissioner for the Compact, other Government Departments and third sector voluntary and community organisations in the promotion of the Compact in the context of health and social care.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whom he intends to consult in respect of the renegotiation of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme;
	(2)  what meetings he or Ministers and officials from his Department have held with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry on the re-opened negotiations about the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme; whom they met on each occasion; and if he will publish a consultation document on the matter.

Dawn Primarolo: Since the Secretary of State's announcement in August that he intended to renegotiate the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, there have been a number of meetings at both ministerial and official level with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and branded pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry met the Secretary of State, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister of State for Competitiveness on 1 November.
	Negotiations on a new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme will take place between the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on behalf of the branded pharmaceutical industry and we will seek views of other organisations as appropriate.
	The Government have no plans to publish a consultation document.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his objectives are in relation to the re-opened negotiations on the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme; when he expects to publish the Government's substantive response to the Office of Fair Trading's market study on the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are seeking to negotiate a new voluntary agreement taking into account the principles set out in the Government's interim response to the Office of Fair Trading's report on the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme:
	delivering value for money;
	encouraging and rewarding innovation;
	assisting the uptake of new medicines; and
	providing stability, sustainability and predictability.

West Cumberland Hospital: Infectious Diseases

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of hospital-acquired infections have been diagnosed at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven in the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. However, West Cumberland hospital is part of the North Cumbria Acute Hospital NHS Trust for which the following information is available on meticillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),  Clostridium difficile and glycopeptides-resistant enterococci bloodstream infections from the mandatory surveillance scheme run by the Health Protection Agency.
	
		
			  Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infection reports 
			  April to March each year  Number 
			 2001-02 26 
			 2002-03 27 
			 2003-04 22 
			 2004-05 24 
			 2005-06 26 
			 2006-07 18 
		
	
	
		
			  Clostridium difficile reports for patients aged 65 years and over 
			   Number 
			 January — December 2004 112 
			 January — December 2005 212 
			 January — December 2006 254 
			 January - June 2007 183 
		
	
	
		
			  Gl ycopeptide-resistant enterococci  bloodstream infection reports 
			  October to September each year  Number 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 1 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency, provisional data. 
		
	
	It is not known how many of these cases were acquired in hospital.